Milan Lucic plays it respectfully when asked about the double-minor high-sticking call that referee Dean Morton assessed him with late in a 2-2 game Thursday nite against the Columbus Blue Jackets – an incorrect call that essentially handed the game (and two points) to Columbus. The problem? It wasn’t Lucic’s stick that clipped Blue Jacket forward Derek Dorsett and drew blood – it was Dorsett’s teammate, defenseman Anton Stralman, whose stick clipped Dorsett. Unlike this referee incident in the last game against Ottawa, where the game was long since lost and this referee “pick” just added insult to injury:

…the call against Columbus was the injury before the insult. And giving Lucic four minutes prevented the Bruins any real chance to tie the game after RJ Umbergergave the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead just 15 seconds into the (gift) power play with 1:16 remaining in regulation.

The second two minutes of Lucic’s double minor then gave Columbus another man advantage for the rest of regulation. The call that Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli received the next day must have been cold comfort, but at least the NHL admitted it blew the call. Now, let’s make changes to get things correct in the future. I have seen referees reviewing replays, headsets on, for 3-4 minutes for goal/non-goal calls that seemed fairly cut and dry – surely

officials can spend another few minutes to get a call right in instances where replay will offer that possibility.

In the third period, the Blue Jackets tied the game seven minutes in – then won it on Umberger’s power play goal with 1:16 left in regulation. Mason channeled last season’s Calder trophy form as he stoned the Bruins at every turn. This save on Zdeno Chara with three seconds left in regulation really encapsulated a day where the Bruins came up short in all areas – including luck. If Mason returns to form over the rest of the season, this game may be looked back at as when he got his mojo back.

The Bruins have a chance to get back to winning ways this afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. They also have a chance to avenge the 5-1 flogging that they took at the hands of the Senators this past Monday night at the TD Garden. The Bruins are now tied for the 7th in the conference with the New York Islanders, and are fading fast having lost 6 of their last 7 games.

No time like the present – today against the Senators – to let the opposition know that the Boston Bruins are not dead yet.